The Premiership is a marathon not a sprint according to most top-flight managers but ask anyone connected with the three promoted clubs about the 38 matches ahead and it is clear that getting out of the blocks quickly is seen as the surest route to survival. There is no suggestion that picking up the pace as the season progresses is the surest route to survival. Wigan and West Ham debunked that theory last term by making explosive starts that left more than half of the Premiership trailing and all but secured their top-flight status for another year.

Reading, Sheffield United and Watford have already taken note. "Over the years the teams that seem to be down there after 10 games find it very difficult to get out," said Reading's Glenn Little. "The benefit West Ham and Wigan had is that they got off to good starts. That gave them confidence and they managed to get up the table. Once you get up there it's easier to hang on. So the first six games for us are vital. We want to try and get points on the board early on so you don't get involved in any trouble."

After early back-to-back defeats Wigan garnered 25 points before the middle of November. Only 10 more were needed to guarantee another season of Premiership football. West Ham gathered momentum at a more leisurely pace although an opening-day victory over Blackburn and seven points from the next four matches provided the platform for an impressive return that removed any relegation fears long before Christmas.

Those statistics spell out the importance of hitting the ground running. But few expect the current Premiership new boys to have a similar impact. Even Sheffield United's manager Neil Warnock, normally the eternal optimist, dismisses the idea that any of the promoted clubs can repeat West Ham and Wigan's achievements. Instead Warnock points to the plight of Sunderland, relegated after winning promotion as champions, as a barometer for the next nine months.

"I don't think the three teams going up this year are what West Ham and Wigan were, so when you look at what's happened to Sunderland you have got to pull something out of the hat to stabilise a team in the Premiership these days," said Warnock. "West Ham and Wigan were the best two teams that have gone up for a number of years. West Ham had the biggest squad and Wigan had the most money, so they were slightly different to the three teams that have gone up this time."

Those promoted clubs have preferred to dip their toe in the transfer market rather than make a splash. Reading's outlay is the smallest with Seol Ki-Hyeon and Sam Sodje costing £1.85m. Watford have been busier, recruiting eight players, although only Danny Shittu and Damien Francis commanded seven-figure fees. That leaves United, having paid out around £5.6m, as the biggest spenders, even if few of the new arrivals at Bramall Lane are proven at Premiership level.

Not that the absence of a track record should preclude success. Several of Wigan's squad, most notably Jimmy Bullard, Leighton Baines and Graham Kavanagh made the transition from the Championship to the Premiership with relative ease, suggesting that hunger can be more important than experience. All three promoted clubs have the latter quality in abundance, but that alone will not ensure success. It is notable that the first-choice strikers at West Ham and Wigan weighed in with 20 league goals between them.

With that in mind it is hardly surprising Phil Jagielka believes Sheffield United's fate will be decided up front and not in defence. "If we can find a goalscorer who can get 10 or 15 goals that's going to go a long way to keeping us up," said the 24-year-old. The portents are not promising given that Rob Hulse, recently signed from Leeds for £2.2m, and Ade Akinbiyi, signed from Burnley last season, both struggled in the top flight in the past. Watford and Reading are also shorn of Premiership quality in attack.

Marlon King scored 22 times for Aidy Boothroyd's side last season but has spent much of his career toiling in the Football League and although Reading's strike pair of Kevin Doyle and David Kitson struck up a prolific partnership in the Championship, it is difficult to see their presence unsettling Premiership defences. "It's not going to be easy," said Doyle. "It's not going to be like last season. I'm going to have to be prepared to go a lot of games without scoring and get used to us getting beaten more often."

The opening five matches should provide some encouragement with Steve Coppell's side taking on Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Wigan, Manchester City and Sheffield United. Watford will also be broken in gently, although a different baptism awaits Sheffield United. The Blades face Liverpool on Saturday before travelling to Spurs on Tuesday.

Not that losing the first two matches should be seen as a crisis. Wigan went on to win eight of the next nine last season and no one mentioned relegation again.